National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Habitat Program

Certifying Wildlife-Friendly Gardens Since 1973 The Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program helps birds and other creatures losing habitat to urban sprawl by encouraging habitat development in home gardens. Over 33,000 habitat

Modern Canopy: Sculptural Shade Structure Overlooking Canyon and Ocean

Sculpture with a Purpose Los Angeles designer Ilan Dei created a one-walled outdoor room at the end of a deck in the coastal mountains near Santa Monica. The structure frames views without blocking them. Its dramatic sha

Water-Wise Plants: Color, Texture, and Fragrance for Dry Gardens

Unthirsty Color Aster A. x frikartii ‘Mönch’ – lavender-blue flowers, 2 ft, zones 2b-24. Coreopsis – C. verticillata ‘Moonbeam’ (pale yellow, 2-3 ft) and C. tinctoria (annual, 3 ft), zones 1-24. Gaillardia x grandiflora

Two-Level Wall Fountain in a Shady Denver Backyard

Artful Facade Over a Brick Wall A cast-stone ram’s head spouts water into a shell-like bowl, which spills into a crescent-shaped basin below. The fountain appears to extend from a 6-foot dry-stacked stone wall, but the s

Barefoot Patio: Paving Stones Laced with Buffalo Grass

A Water-Wise Alternative to Lawn In the arid West, a conventional turfgrass lawn isnt water-wise, and large paving creates heat and glare. Nate Downey of Santa Fe Permaculture laces paving stones with ribbons of native b

Tiny Backyard Transformation: Lessons from a 600-Square-Foot Garden

Big Ideas in a Small Space Designer Phil Snow saw potential in his El Cajon, California, condo backyard—just 600 square feet. He created an outdoor living room with a dynamic water feature, multiple conversation areas, a

Gentle Hillside Landscape in Glen Ellen: Blending with Nature

Resting Lightly on the Land On a half-acre oak-studded lot overlooking Sonoma Valley, designer Stephen Suzman created a landscape that appears part of nature. Disturbance was minimized; materials were sourced on-site. St

Five Garden Rooms on a West Seattle Lot

A Quintet of Themed Spaces Will Green divided a 50-by-120-foot lot into five garden rooms: front entry patio, checkerboard courtyard, raised deck, pond garden with English-style border, and a chartreuse-painted patio. Ea

Woodsy Bainbridge Island Landscape: Collaborative Design Preserves Nature

Early Collaboration Pays Off Designer Patrick Leuner was brought in before house construction on Bainbridge Island, allowing assessment of existing landscape and coordination with owner, architect, arborist, and contract

Designing with Chocolate Foliage: Five Ways to Use Deep Brown Plants

1. Accent A shapely plant like spiky-leafed phormium in rich chocolate hue becomes a dramatic focal point among low, mounding plants. 2. Backdrop A hedge of deep brown foliage—Japanese barberry ‘Atropurpurea’—strikes a s

Backyard Geometry: Transforming a Wedge-Shaped Hollywood Hills Garden

Diagonal Drama in a Narrow Space Landscape designer Judy Kameon tackled a wedge-shaped, sloping backyard in the Hollywood Hills. She added a well-placed patio with a built-in bench, and a grid of concrete pavers marching

Outdoor Living Room: Expanding a Scottsdale Backyard

From Unused Lawn to Furnished Patio Nancy and Gary Rossman replaced a large, unused lawn with a furnished outdoor room. Landscape architect Nancy E. Wagner expanded the patio by 500 square feet and added a substantial fi

Rustic Cedar Arbor on Bainbridge Island

Handcrafted from Native Cedar Bob Riebe wanted a cedar arbor to cover a stone path leading to a gazebo overlooking a pond. Builder Buster Brewer cut native cedars in spring when bark peels easily, assembled the structure

Malibu Coastal Garden: Rhythm and Color Inspired by Jazz

A Garden with Its Own Beat Lee and Carmen Ritenour’s coastal garden in Malibu, designed by Mia Lehrer, pulses with vibrant colors and bold, irregular paving. A rhythmic row of Mexican fan palms contrasts with an irregula

Vertical Garden on a Retaining Wall: Plant Pockets in Elfin Forest

A 30-Foot-High Living Wall At the Elfin Forest home of Karen Gardner and John Phillips, a 30-foot-high cement grid stabilizes a near-vertical slope. Pockets are filled with amended soil and planted with pink and red ivy

Grid-Design Front Garden: Privacy and Openness in Los Altos

Elegant Simplicity in a Small Space A 1,500-square-foot front garden in Los Altos, California, designed by Robert Truxell for his brother Bill, uses a clever grid fence and gate that provide privacy while maintaining ope

Mediterranean Courtyard with a Modern Twist in Los Angeles

Traditional Layout, Fresh Materials The entry garden of Karyn Lovegrove and Peter Leak appears contemporary but follows traditional Mediterranean design: symmetrical layout, central fountain, gray-green foliage, violet-b

Northern California Country Garden: Japanese Maples and Perennial Tapestry

A Labor of Love in Sonoma Landscape designer Jaquie Tomke-Bosch and husband Al Bosch moved from the Bay Area to Sonoma with 23 containerized Japanese maples and a vision for a long, narrow side yard. They removed lawn an

Rooftop Container Garden: Lessons from a Seattle Family

Quick Establishment with Large Containers A one-year-old Seattle roof garden became a favorite hideout thanks to four factors: large containers, 60-pound bags of potting mix, installed water supply (piping and outdoor sp

Transforming the Parkway Strip into a Floral Oasis

The Challenge of the Parkway Strip The parkway strip—that trampled, parched ribbon between sidewalk and street—is often the most visible yet most neglected part of a property. With the right plants, it can become a flora